Going to the Cross
“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53
“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” John 10:18
Jesus had a choice. He didn’t have to go to the cross. Nor did He need to stay on it. He was, and is, Jesus, Son of God. He could have called on 12 legions of angels to avoid the cross. He could have done anything to turn His back on the cross and send all of humanity to hell forever. But He went to the cross, and He stayed on it, and died a heinous, gruesome death, bearing God’s wrath for all of humanity’s sins, so those who believe in Him can be forgiven their sins and follow Him and have a relationship with God forever in heaven instead of spending eternity in hell. Oh, but He had a choice! God’s only begotten Son chose to come to earth in the form of a man and endure the worst death any human has ever experienced – for us! No greater sacrifice has ever been made than God giving up His Son and His Son going to the cross for us.
We, too, have a choice. For belief in Christ as Lord isn’t an intellectual exercise; it’s a lifestyle of denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Him. We are called to die to our own wishes, wants, and ways daily as we sacrifice our lives to love the Lord and others in words and action. But after all Christ did for us, how many of us are resisting, rebelling, moaning and murmuring over the choices we face daily to turn away from our selfish desires and to sacrifice our hearts and lives for the glory of the Lord? Too busy and self-consumed, some of us are, to give of our hearts, schedules, and pocketbooks to help a world in need. Oh, but we have a choice.
It’s not too late to take up our little crosses and do as our Savior did. To die to ourselves that others might live! Will you?